


Taste On My Tongue

by alittlewicked



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Thor (Marvel), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Bonding, Bucky Barnes Feels, Captain America Big Bang 2019 | cabigbang, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nymph!Bucky, Nymph!Loki, Omega Bucky Barnes, Omega Loki (Marvel), Protective Bucky Barnes, Smut, Werewolf!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 12:58:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21299843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlewicked/pseuds/alittlewicked
Summary: The two men were one giant, blaring siren to Bucky's instincts. Even if Winter, his giant mutt of a dog and constant companion on his tours through the reserve, has been falling over herself to get some belly scratches from them.Bucky couldn't really fault her for throwing her massive body on the ground now, presenting her tummy to the man that had caught Bucky's eye for a whole other reason than being a potential threat. More like being a potential mate. It had him nearly right there beside Winter on the forest ground, baring his belly and neck, begging for a mating bite or at the very least his knot.°•°Or: The one where Bucky and Loki are two nymphs living in a far off nature reserve when one day two strangers make an appearance in the omega brothers’ territory. Just when the first sparks fly between Bucky and Steve (also Loki and Thor, although Loki would rather call it fireworks than sparks), the four of them are ordered to participate in the annual mating run.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Loki/Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 290
Collections: Captain America Big Bang 2019 | cabigbang





	Taste On My Tongue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lili_flygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lili_flygirl/gifts).

> This fic is self-indulgently hitting my fave tropes and on top of that two amazing people created some beautiful art for it! Thank you both so much!
> 
> [Neutralchaos](https://chaosdraws.tumblr.com/) jumped right into it when I only had half of my fic done and they inspired me so much with her drawings, I can't even begin tell you! I'm obsessed with Steve in the final art piece included in this fic and I just love these drawings so much <3!
> 
> [lili_flygirl](https://lili-flygirl.tumblr.com/) is still recovering from an injury and yet she had me cackling over face-swapping anecdotes for this poster! She also came up with the idea of creating art for the page breaks and basically pulled an all-nighter for it and I love them to bits!
> 
> My beta is as ever my long-suffering sis, you know who you are <3! Love you!
> 
> Also thanks to the Mods of the Captain America Big Bang 2019 for organizing this amazing bang!
> 
> [Content warnings in the end notes!]

If all the world and love were young,

And truth in every Shepherd’s tongue,

These pretty pleasures might me move,

To live with thee, and be thy love.

Sir Walter Raleigh

°•°

So this was what Bucky had been waiting for, had been searching for all this time. Nearly two millennia wandering the earth and it was here that he should find it. This feeling of belonging, of home. And in this moment, with Steve close to him, in him – Bucky knew that he had finally found it.

Home.

°•°

°•°

There was wolf in Bucky’s woods. A big, beautiful wolf that was watching Bucky with bright blue eyes that were glowing in the dim twilight surrounding them.

Maybe he should be afraid. The wolf was towering above him from where he was perched on top of a fallen tree. Surely his fangs were big and sharp and ready to tear into Bucky at any second now. It looked like the definition of prime apex predator and in the great scheme of things, Bucky was very much falling into the prey category.

But he couldn’t help but be entranced by the beautiful animal and the sentient shine within its eyes. And in his experience, the real beasts were rarely animals but men and mankind.

So he stayed rooted among the trees watching the wolf watch him for what felt like a small eternity.

Then, the wolf’s ears twitched as if he could hear something Bucky himself could not catch above the wind whispering in the leaves above them just yet.

And between one heartbeat and the next, the majestic wolf hopped down from the tree trunk and ran off into the underbrush.

“Wait!” But before he could take even one step to run after the wolf, against everything that his survival instincts were screaming at him, he could hear someone else breaking through the thicket somewhere behind him.

“Bucky? Bucky, where are you?”

Looking one last time towards where the wolf had disappeared, he sighed. Shaking his head forcefully, he turned towards the voice calling out to him.

“I’m here!”

He couldn’t help but feel like he was moving into the wrong direction, couldn’t really put it into words that sudden turmoil raging in his chest. But there was a faint scent hanging in the air, something delicious that made Bucky want to roll around in it.

Something that made him want to chase after the wolf. 

Something that felt like home.

°•°

°•°

Since the day that he had crawled out of the bark of an oak tree overlooking Mount Olympus, Bucky had never been much like it was expected of your normal nymph in general or even a dryad in particular.

Sure, he was a nature spirit with a talent for growing and nurturing trees and flowers and bushes and anything sprouting roots. That part of traditional folklore and mythology he had covered. On top of that, he was also an omega, the traditional secondary gender all nymphs were designated to. So first and foremost, Bucky was an omega dryad, because someone who was able to foster life around themselves should be able to bear life as well, as was the will of the gods.

But that was where the similarities to the majority of his sisters ended. For one, he – complete with body, mind, and soul – was a man as opposed to most of his fellow nymphs. Most nymphs, across all their diverse domains, spheres, and powers, identified as female. So he was a bit of an anomaly among his kind, still natural and still beautiful in his own way – like an albino roe buck.

Even despite that, he wouldn’t stick out as much. Would blend in among his flock if he was at least as lithe and soft as nymphs were typically built, no matter the natural features they were associated with. Sure, the oreads residing in the high and rough mountain ranges were stockier than their counterparts dancing in wild rivers and swimming through clear, cool lakes – the naiads. And the nereids travelling the oceans were naturally busty and plump to withstand the cold, deep waters and powerful storms cutting through the waves, contrasting the slender and willowy aurae that rode the softest of breezes.

But then there was Bucky and how much he was not fitting the lithe and soft characterization even in the broadest sense of “lithe” and “soft”. Bucky with his broad shoulders and his heavily muscled and sturdy body. Bucky who caught the eye even among the other dryads born from strong oak trees. Because his thighs were thick and his pecs hard. His jaw was cut strongly, covered in rough stubble. There was not one thing about him that could be called lithe and soft or classically nymph.

As much as he had struggled with these differences for the first few centuries of his existence, he had come to like the parts of him that distinguished him from the rest of his family and friends. He even came to love his body. Loved the power held in his big hands and strong back. And for a lower ranking deity he was proud to say that this power and strength was quite something.

It was at least enough to fight of unwanted advances of too forward alphas off. There had been gods and heroes and other men too dumb or reckless who had tried to – at least what they called it – seduce him. And in thanks, he had left black eyes and broken noses and in one memorable case a bruised knot in the wake of their ill-advised come-ons.

So Bucky was different to what you were told about your standard nymph by the myths and legends and stories as old as some of the oldest civilizations. He was his own omega who was not reliant on an alpha dictating his every move and sprinkling a little bit of love on Bucky’s self-esteem.

But from time to time, he couldn’t help but to wish for feeling a little smaller, a little easier to bundle up in a hug. Sometimes, he really wanted to be to one to be protected for once. Perhaps even sport a bonding mark even.

°•°

°•°

"The oak tree is especially important in the great scheme of things in forest management in this nature reserve. They are resilient against most common parasites and pestilences accountable for forests dying in this hemisphere. This way, they help to regenerate the woods with a high pollination and seeding rate."

Bucky was gesturing towards a small clustering of birches towards his right while explaining a little bit more about the tree. With a quick glance he weighed the group's attention to the woods around them.

Two elderly ladies all decked out in functional gear had been keeping up close with him since the moment he had introduced himself as the group's tour guide for this excursion into the nature reserve. He was definitely impressed with their fitness and surefootedness on the uneven forest trails. But their interest clearly lay more in gossiping about whose grandchild was the bigger failure than the peculiarities of the nature around them.

They now only pretended to carefully peer over to where he had pointed when the taller one of the two burst out, her soft Beta scent spiking a little in the face of sharing some juicy gossip: "Oh and have I told you already what landed Darcy in detention this time? You wouldn't believe this kid…"

Poor Darcy. Being her grandmother’s tea to spill. Bucky tuned out of the ladies’ conversation then and turned towards the other participants that were part of his guided tour.

There was also one of the classic suburban families part of today’s tour: father, mother, and 1.6 kids because that mess of raging teenage hormones that had probably been a cute kid a few years back could hardly be considered a person now. He almost felt bad for the boy who had been making moon eyes at Bucky since they had taken off on their trek an hour ago. Not as bad as their mom was, but still.

Nevertheless, all four of them were just browsing the woods superficially, not looking hard enough to see the secrets that lay hidden below the foliage. They definitely were no threat. Just a pair of Beta parents trying to show their children the wonders of Mother Nature before the two of them presented and could only focus on the scents of other people for a while.

Sure, it had been a millennium or two since Bucky presented, but he could still remember how he felt then. A whole new world opening up to him, the others around him a pool of possibilities. A whole lot of potential candidates to mate and bond with, essentially.

But then there were also two men accompanying the group. They were both tall and muscular, standing proud between Bucky's trees. Their dark blond hair shone bright in the specks of sunlight that made it through the branches high above the group. Their matching beards and bright, attentive blue eyes made them look like brothers. Or something else entirely.

And they were basically one giant, blaring siren to Bucky's instincts. Even if Winter, his giant mutt of a dog and constant companion on his tours through the reserve, has been falling over herself to get some scratches from the two men.

Bucky couldn't really fault her for throwing her massive body on the ground now, wiggling around and presenting his tummy to the man that had caught Bucky's eye for a whole other reason than being a potential threat. More like being a potential mate.

His blond hair was slicked back in a way that had Bucky's fingers itch to comb through the strands. The thick beard made him think about all that delicious beard burn it could cause, preferably all over his mating glands or the soft insides of his thighs or between his cheeks. And that amazingly tiny waist of the man before him had him imagine all the ways he could wrap his legs around it while the other man plowed...

No. Stop. Technically, he was still working and he was having enormously inappropriate thoughts about a participant of his tours.

Shaking his head, he tried to get his head back in the game. Or tour guide mode more likely. But the blond hunk didn’t make it easy on him.

The delicately muted Alpha scent coming from the man had Bucky thinking of warm winter days spent in front of the fire and a heated romp on the furs, snuggled under a pile of soft blankets. It had him nearly right there besides Winter on the forest ground. He had to dig his nails into the soft palms of his hand to stop himself from baring his belly and neck, begging for a mating bite or at the very least his knot. He could feel a small trickle of slick dampen his underwear.

Only when the other man's head snapped up from where he was bent over Winter and rubbing her belly diligently, Bucky realized that he had been staring for some time now. The man's nostrils flared slightly then, subtly scenting the air. Scenting Bucky if the way he zeroed in on him and the tiny smirk forming on those luscious lips was anything to go by.

Bucky was screwed. And not in the fun way. Yet.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind from the hormonal surge that was rushing through him. It was not mating time yet and he had two potential intruders within the borders of his territory. This was really not the time to fantasize about some random Alpha's dick and what it would feel like sitting on it.

With one last glance at Winter wiggling around in delight at her belly scratches, he turned his attention towards the last person in the group. And an undefined person it was for this man was definitely not human. Bucky hadn’t been able to get a good read on him yet. His smell also did not give away much beyond the man being an alpha in his prime.

But the sharp taste of lightning and burnt soil at the back of his tongue when he subtly scented the man, had Bucky suppress a frightened shudder. Same as the other man, a powerful aura clung to him. Bucky did not know what and who they were, but they sure as all Hades did not belong to Olympia. His bet was that they were part of something wilder, something primal and untamed. And definitely not the refined and pompous pantheon Bucky himself belong to.

The way the man's eerily bright eyes scanned the woods around the small gathering of people made Bucky nervous and his hackles rise. This man could see beyond what the rest of the unsuspecting group saw. Could see the flora and fauna that mankind once told fantastical stories about but that had slowly but surely lost importance in today's fast-paced world.

The beings from myths and legends had been forced to the fringes of society, the dwindling belief in them shrinking their powers and the sway they once had over people. And the negligent, hurtful way that humanity treated nature with destroyed the living spaces of gods and creatures alike.

The supernatural and mythical had fought gruesome wars over the last millennium for the small, untouched places on Earth to make a life there far removed from humans. Bucky had been lucky enough that this nature reserve that he has called home for decades now was too small to be of interest for the great players in this game.

But nevertheless, these woods had seen their fair share of attacks of rivaling beings over the last decades. Bucky had fought enough beings that had been set on war, no matter the possibilities of a peaceful co-existence among the trees. And these two men exuded the aggressive energy of warriors, of people who had come to take.

The rest of his guided tour through the woods was a whirlwind of panicked thoughts if the protective measures around the reserve would withhold the coming attack. He also couldn’t shake the unwelcome daydreams of a strong, powerful alpha taking care of Bucky and protecting him for once. No matter how well he could fend for himself, he was helpless against the longing that crept up on him each time he got a whiff of the alluring alpha.

And damn, did Bucky fight well.

When he finally tracked back to the information center and saw the group off after another hour of trekking through the woods, he waited for each and every one to get back into their cars and drive off. Especially the two huge alphas that folded their impressive builds into an old VW Beetle. Their process of folding their tall bodies into the car reminded him somehow of origami.

But after the day he had, he couldn't even bring himself to laugh about that comparison.

When the alphas drove off at last, Bucky's alpha kept staring out of the window at him. His gaze stroked heatedly over Bucky's body, seemingly tracing the flush high on his cheeks and caressing it. So long, until the car took a turn onto the main road and sped past where he and Winter were still standing. Another trickle of slick seeped into his pants before he could force his gaze away from where the alpha had disappeared.

"Come on girl, time to go home!" Grabbing Winter's leash just that little bit tighter, Bucky turned his back to the parking lot and let the both of them fade into the wide expanse of woodland before them.

°•°

°•°

Breaking through the protective barrier that Bucky had erected with the small measures of magic inherent to a nymph, he felt like he could breathe again for the first time in hours. The soft rippling of the wards across his skin felt like an embrace, welcoming him and Winter back home.

And home was at an expansive clearing in the middle of the nature reserve where they have lived for the last decades unbeknownst to the humans.

He had only taken a few steps towards the house that stood quaintly in front of him, already dreaming of a hot soak in the tub to wash of the day’s grime (and slick), when he came to an abrupt stop.

"What in all Hades is this supposed to be?" Bucky eyed the scene set up before him.

His brother, eternal nuisance and constant pain in his ass since they had first blossomed from the same tree a few thousand years ago, was draped dramatically across the meadow that spread out from their porch towards the tree line.

Loki's glossy black hair was combed back from his elegant face and a heavy braid was artfully draped across his back and left shoulder. He was wearing a moss green, shimmering tunic that was playing around his silhouette and slightly see-through. A fawn was nestled against him and he was petting a fluffy bunny sprawled over his lap. Sitting on a bed of moss with flowers dotted all around him. Flowers that should not be blooming until a few weeks later into the spring.

"This is my Snow White get-up. I've been told that fairy tale aesthetics are really popular among the humans right now!" Blinking up at Bucky, Loki was pulling out all the stops.

Doe eyes on point. Bucky had to give him that.

"And what would you need that get-up for, pray-tell?" His day's been miserable enough with all the lusting after a potential threat to the life they had built in these woods.

"Dear Mr. Rabbit here told me you have been parading around two hunky alphas in our woods today. I’d hoped that maybe you'd bring over some company for dinner." Another blink of those doe eyes.

He was really good, Bucky had to give him that.

And then he saw the silver glint of Loki's favored weapon sticking out between the plush moss pillows. And then some more.

"Then what is it with all those knives littered all around you if you were expecting some kind of dinner party?"

"Better safe than sorry, isn't that what you always yap on about?" Rising elegantly to his feet, Loki scratched the fawn one last time along its long neck before sending it back to its herd roaming between the trees. The rabbit he kept cradled against his chest.

"Can we just not do this tonight? I've had a long day and we really need to reinforce the wards. I don't know if those alphas were just passing through or if they were looking for somewhere to settle down. But they sure as all Tartarus will not do it here. This is our home." Breathing deeply, Bucky unclipped Winter's leash and looked back at Loki.

His brother was still cuddling the bunny, but assessing him with one of his calm, calculating gazes. Bucky always felt naked under that scrutiny, but that was okay. They knew each other like nobody else. Bucky was an open book to Loki.

And apparently what Loki saw, made him let the rabbit down softly onto the mossy ground. Then he turned around and began muttering under his breath, fingers flitting around, weaving magic into the very air.

“Better safe than sorry then. We should make sure that they were the only ones sniffing around here.”

Bucky took one more calming breath, letting the scent of pine and oak trees, naturally rotting wood to complete the circle of life, and moist moss resonating deep within him. Toeing off his shoes, he let himself connect with the earth beneath his bare feet and let its power flow through him. Then he took off as well, disappearing between the trees.

°•°

°•°

It was just a few hours later, when Bucky started up from slumber to Loki hovering above him.

“They are here.” Whispering, Loki pressed a finger down onto Bucky’s lips as if he was some kind of screamer.

But the warning was enough for him to be wide-awake within seconds. Nodding at his brother, he sat up with only the slightest rustling of the sheets pooling at his waist. The soft click-clack of Winter’s nails hitting the wooden floor let him know that his companion had felt the imminent threat as well.

He couldn’t believe that he had slept to the wards being breached. The day past seemed to have taken a bigger toll on him that he had thought.

Slipping off the bed silently, the raven haired brother slipped two daggers from between the folds of his dressing gown. “It’s definitely more than two. I’ll take the ones coming from the North side, you take the southern end!”

With a look back at Bucky, he slid open the glass doors to the clearing and vanished into the night. Barefooted and silk gown fluttering in the cool breeze whispering through the night. Winter’s massive built was hot on his heels without a sound as well, white fur blending into the inky black night.

Rolling his eyes at his brother and his dramatics even at times like these, Bucky got up silently and slipped back into his work attire that were laying carelessly at the foot of his bed. Strapping a gun holster over his t-shirt and slipping his own set of knives into various hiding places, he was on his way out only moments later.

Running through the darkness, his feet found their way without thought. Soft moss swallowing the sound of his steps and his instincts and memory of the woods avoiding rustling leaves on the ground. A whisper above him led his way, towards whoever was attacking them.

Bucky didn’t need to see where he was going, knew these woods like the back of his hand. More intimately even. His dryad senses were taking care of the rest.

He could feel the forest around him pulsating, gearing up to help defend their home. Branches were rustling and roots stretching below ground. Ready to do Bucky’s bidding, ready to do what needed to be done.

But aside from the trees coming to life around him, it was silent. Deadly silent, to be honest. Breathing a relieved sigh, Bucky put on another burst of speed. At least the animals had already fled the woods closest to the nymphs’ clearing. There was not even one bird up in the branches above him.

Knowing his forest was evacuated and ready for whatever was to come, he focused his senses on what lay beyond. His eyes sharpened, making out each tree that he had helped grow and nurtured for the last decades. Took in the smell of natural decay and growing life. Listened above the rustling and whispering of the leaves.

And then he found what he was searching for. The soft breeze travelling above the underwood carried the scent of the strangers invading the forest to him. He could make out the foreign scents, tasted them at the back of his tongue. He had the sudden urge to spit out the saliva gathering in his mouth at the nasty tastes.

Overly ripe alpha, two of them. And one beta accompanying them. All three clustered together a few miles farther north of him. Lurking, trespassing, trampling over plants and roots and destroying valuable life. They’d pay for their disrespect.

Closing in on them, Bucky slowed down. He could smell them now, cloying up the air. He could also hear them now, strategizing. Their deep timbres resonating between the trees.

“How many nymphs are supposed to live here again?” One of the alphas asked the rest of the group gathered in a small clearing. He was big and brawny, as far as his shadowy silhouette went. A crooked nose, thrown into relief by torch light, held high into the breeze as if to sniff out Bucky’s tracks trailing crisscross all over the woods. Rifle pointing towards the ground but ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

The answer was met with a shrug by the beta, an unassuming man that was peering into the darkness beyond his gleaming flashlight. His figure was not as bulking with muscles as the other man, easier to take on in close combat if it should come to that. No weapons drawn for now.

“Two.” A voice sounded from the dense shadows farthest from Bucky’s hiding place. It made shivers race down his back, disgusted and perturbed from the voice’s cadence along. Something was rankling him at the sound of it.

“Two delectable omega sluts.”

Biting down on a growl, Bucky squeezed his lips shut. If the invasion of his home had not been personal before, it damn well was now.

As much as Bucky tried to be a pacifist about things and did not believe in forcefully getting his way, he very well knew how to defend himself. Had to do so out of necessity more times than he was willing to count and remember. He was not stranger to fighting.

So when he got a good line of sight from between two massive oak trees, he took aim and fired a salve of arrowheads from his tranquilizer gun into the unsuspecting alpha closest to him.

The beta was incapacitated by one of the oak trees. Their mighty roots had broken through the forest ground silently and wrapped around the man’s legs. They would immobilize him until Bucky had dealt with the other two and their pantheon had been called on to dispose of them. One tendril had even wrapped around the man’s mouth to keep him from alerting any more of these intruders.

One alpha down, one beta all tied up. That left only one more on end of the woods. The torch lights the other men had dropped were throwing grotesque shadows against the thick tree trunks around them, but the last alpha had the sense of hiding from their shine.

Bucky could still hear his breathing, heavy and foreign in the silence around them. He could narrow down the trees the other man was hiding behind. The smell of cold smoke and wet fur thick in the air. But in the darkness that still clung to the clearing, he was unable to take aim at the alpha. So close-contact it was then.

Gun at the ready, Bucky stepped out from behind his cover. Willing up fin fires around the clearing.

And as soon as he laid eyes on the other alpha, his breath stuttered out painfully.

“Brock?” His voice was all but a whisper in the silent night.

“Hey there, sweetcheeks!” The smugly grinning visage of the biggest asshole Bucky had ever the displeasure of meeting was leering at him from across the clearing, sharp facial features flickering grotesque in the light of the ever changing fin fires.

“I have been wondering where you have been hiding out for the last seventy years, I’ve missed you dearly.” Coming closer with every drawled word, the other man was looming over Bucky within a couple panicked breaths.

Tranquillizer gun quivering in his hands, he was unable to move his fingers. Cold sweat was gathering along his hairline, the trigger too insurmountable to pull. Staring at the ragged man, scars scattered all over his face as proof to his bloodthirsty nature, he felt the gun being ripped from his hands. His arms fell uselessly down to his sides. If only he could move!

Oh yes. He knew Brock, knew of his vile character and even nastier inclinations. He had heard of him and his misdeeds long before he had even left the shelter of the grove he had been born into. He had learned to fear him from the stories alone. And then Bucky had come across the leader of the Wild Hunt in person, the war-mongering group of berserkers born and bred by the Norse Pantheon. He had fought against the abominable creature that was the man across from him, more times than he could count. And he had survived it, oftentimes by sheer luck.

And because apparently he was too pretty to just rip his throat out. Brock had never made a secret out of the fact that if he should come across Bucky in a weak moment, he better pray to the gods. Because a claiming against his will would be the least of his worries then.

Which is why Loki and he had packed up their meagre belongings, counted their blessings, and raced across the European plane – still war-riddled and utter chaos then – to seek shelter in a forest so remote, not even Brock and his bloodhounds would find them.

Until now.

“You have been looking for me, I take it?” Forcing himself to calm down, Bucky took a deep measured breath. Inching his hand closer to his body from where it was dangling down still. Slipping clever fingers into the back of his pants.

Brock was still grinning, cruel sneer twisting his lips: “Took me some time, sweatpea. You did good on hiding for as long as you did. But alas, not good enough!”

“So sorry about that!” Jerking his arm back around, Bucky clutched his dagger desperately. Gritting his teeth, he aimed for the huge man’s jugular. Throwing his whole body into the motion, he was caught off-guard when the huntsman ducked down faster than Bucky could see and barreled into the nymph.

When he hit the ground, all air was pressed out of lungs. And a second later an enraged alpha was bearing down on his chest.

“How dare you attack me, you stupid omega slut!” A roar, louder than any other predator’s was ripping apart the stillness of the night around them. “Someone like you should know their place!”

He could feel Brock’s wet breathe against his throat, his overpowering alpha stink and massive upper body bearing down on his chest suffocating him. Sharp teeth too close to his vulnerable jugular and even more unprotected mating gland. Panic was clawing at Bucky’s guts, limps shaking uncontrollably. Jerking his knee up in a last ditch effort, he got a good kick into the alpha’s balls in before a punch to his face let his head whip around and drag along the rough forest ground.

Ominously elongated teeth hindering his speech, the alpha roared into Bucky’s face once more before taking another swipe at the cowering omega.

But before Bucky could even make a grab for one of the last pair of daggers hidden inside in the folds of his pants or cover his neck, a powerful growl was resounding around them. And from one second to the next, the pressure on his chest was gone. As was Brock.

Scrambling backwards from the clearing, reaching out blindly for one of the trees behind him – to keep him save, to borrow some strength, it took him a few moments to get his bearings. There was growling and roaring all around him, the sounds whipping back and forth, amplified and echoed by the trees boxing the fighters in.

Then suddenly, there was silence.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Buck had to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust in the dim lights of his fen fires. And what he saw left him breathless.

Brock laid crumpled in the middle of the clearing, still breathing but unconscious. Harmless for the moment and no immediate danger to Bucky’s life and freedom for now.

Towering above his prone body was a wolf. A big, beautiful wolf that was watching Bucky with bright blue eyes that were glowing eerily in the flickering light of the fen fires. His golden fur looked soft and warm, ready for Bucky to bury his hands in it. The scent of newly fallen snow and a cozy, open fire and, curiously, cinnamon, hung heavy in the air.

The scent as well as a low rumbling sound coming from the wolf put Bucky to ease. Inexplicably, he could feel his breathing evening out and his rabbiting heart beating calm down. But before he could be completely lulled in, he sat up abruptly against his tree again.

“I’ve seen you before!” He stared at the wolf, remembering his encounter with the beautiful animal a few days before. “You saved me…”

The wolf was turning towards the nymph then, about to take a step closer, when there was sudden noise coming from the woods behind Bucky. Bending around the tree, Bucky tried to peer into the darkness beyond.

“My brother has to be here, just a little farther!” And that was Loki, thank the gods, Loki was alive! Loud barking accompanied the trampling of feet and agitated voices and he heaved a breath of relief that Winter was well, too.

Turning back around towards the clearing, he just wanted to let the wolf know that help was coming. But when he faced back to where Brock’s body was still lying motionlessly, the golden wolf was gone.

Bucky was still staring over at where the beautiful animal had stood when Loki crashed through the underwood and right over to him. Hot on his heels were guards from their pantheon, ready and prepared to take away the last three intruders.

°•°

°•°

When he woke up the next morning, it was with a start. Remembering the night before, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Reaching out with his mind and magic, he could feel the wards being as strong as ever. They were once again unperturbed by whatever was lurking beyond its borders. But for now, he could feel no disturbances in the nature reserve. Settling back down into his pillows, he felt a lot more settled.

The cool morning air filtered in through the open windows in his room. It gave him a start because apparently he had been so out of it last night that he never even got around to close them back up. But the scent of morning dew and wet greenery that smelled like home calmed him down considerably.

It was also chasing away the last remnants of the mysterious alpha’s scent from the day before that had persistently been stuck in his nose. A shame really, but it made for a way clearer head. And with a startle, he sat up straight against his headboard.

He was sure that he had caught the scent last night out in the woods, but it did not belong to any of his attackers. Which was a huge relief in parts, because it meant his omega brain had been not that deep fried to fall for home invaders and potential rapists. But the beta’s neutral scent did not even register in Bucky’s omega brain, the other alpha had smelled non-descriptive to his senses. And the stench of cold smoke and wet fur that was coming from Brock was sure as hell nothing like the homey, inviting scent that was so tantalizing to the omega.

The wolf! It must have been the wolf!

Huh. Now that was just like Bucky. Finally a scent that he could see himself being attracted to and it belonged to an elusive wolf and a hunky man that potentially wanted to evict him from his home.

But one thing after the other.

Yesterday night’s attackers had been dealt with by their laws and Bucky could put them ad acta for now. Brock was ideally put behind bars just this moment and Bucky was safe from him.

That left only the two strange alphas from the tour to worry about.

Perhaps the two men had just been looking around for a new hunting ground in these parts. Then Bucky had made it exceedingly clear that hunting was off in a nature reserve and they had travelled on. Like… he hadn’t really, if he was completely honest. Because all he could think about was how he’d liked to be chased down by the one that he had already considered his alpha.

He paused then, leaning back against the headboard of his bed heavily, sagging together. Bucky hated the archaic “alpha chasing omega” trope. Grimacing, he berated himself for catching the hots for some random pretty alpha. Thumping his head against the wood several times, he tried to concentrate once more.

It could also be that those two prime beef alphas were really just interested in nature protection. They were living in troubled times and especially the supernatural community knew how to appreciate the morsels of earth that were still untouched by mankind. A hot body and delicious scent were no criterions for exclusion when it came to conservationists. Hades, Bucky considered himself pretty hot as well and he lived for conserving and protecting the nature and wildlife all around him.

Either way, he had to get out of bed and on a shopping trip into town. For now, everyday life had to take precedence over supernatural quarrels and what-ifs. And he would bet his ass that Loki was already gone for the day, doing Hel knows what, and that his dear brother had graciously left their shopping list behind.

Something about how Loki was burdened with glorious purpose and that did not include menial household tasks. Bla bla bla. He had learned to tune out when his brother was on one of his famous rants.

Sighing deeply, Bucky heaved himself out of bed.

°•°

°•°

He was browsing the cookie selection at the local supermarket, when his day took a turn for the worse, subjectively speaking. Bucky had been steadfastly ignoring Winter's whining from outside the building, thinking she was just particularly affectionate and touch-starved and a general baby today. His stupid, adorable mutt howling for him. He would just cuddle her extra-long when they got back home. They both deserved it after last night.

And she had been so brave, too. Loki told him about how she had singlehandedly disposed of two intruders before the raven haired man could circle back to come help her. So cuddles for his brave girl it was tonight.

That naivety came back to bite him in the ass, when suddenly he could feel himself boxed in against the shelf by a wall of muscles. And then it hit him full force. That delicious alpha scent that made his knees weak and pants damp.

"Hello there, Mr. Ranger!" Bucky twisted around quickly at the deep voice rumbling right next to his ear.

There he was again. Bucky's ideal man, the alpha of the very dreams he had not known he was having. Standing so close to him that he could practically feel the heat coming off of his muscular body. The heady scent of pure snow and burning wood was wrapping seductively around him. Enticing him to let himself be wrapped in those deliciously bulging arms or better yet, drop down on all fours and let himself be had right there in the cookie aisle.

Bucky was unable to form a clear thought, never mind talk like a normal person. All he could think about was that tiny waist and what his legs would look like if they were wrapped around it. His omega was whispering a constant chant of _mate, mate, mate_ at him in the back of his mind.

"I had hoped to see you again! I wanted to tell you how much I liked your tour yesterday afternoon, I've learned so much! You're really an incredible teacher!" A smile as bright as the sun hit Bucky right in the feels. The man was as exuberant as a cute, little puppy and the nymph did not know how to handle this.

If this man tried to take his home from him, he would be helpless. Damn these omega sensibilities! An alpha that complimented an omega for more than just child bearing and rearing activities? How was Bucky supposed to cope with this?

And how in all Hel was he supposed to resist the gorgeous pair of nipples staring him right in the face through the skin tight, tiny shirt the alpha was wearing? They literally begged him to latch on to them and have a little nibble. 

"You know, my friend Thor and me would love to learn more about the reserve, would it be terribly rude if I asked you for a private tour of the woods sometime soon?"

How in Hades was Bucky supposed to say no to that? He just wasn't.

If anything, Bucky was supposed to set himself on fire and just cease to exist. His poor, gay heart was not equipped to handle hot, hunky alphas that seemed to be decent and polite and not at all ready to snatch his home from under his butt. He took a deep breathe to steady himself.

It came back out in a stuttering cough.

“It was you! You have been in the woods last night, helping me fend off that despicable alpha Brock! That wolf was you!” Staring wide-eyed at the blond alpha, he couldn’t believe his luck. He did not have the hots for some colonizer asshole.

The other man rubbed his neck sheepishly then, blinking up at Bucky from underneath long blond lashes fanning out over blushing cheeks. And how in all Hel and Tartarus and Hades was he supposed to cope with that? Big, strong, wolfy, and blushing? Gods, have mercy on him.

“Yeah, that was me.” Clearing his throat awkwardly, the man shuffled his feet. “I’m so sorry that happened, I’d really like a chance to apologize and explain!”

°•°

°•°

When he unclipped Winter's leash sometime later, he stared straight ahead. He had never been as unwilling to meet his dog's eyes as he was right now. No matter how much she nosed at his hand and whined up at him, this was all on her.

"You knew he was in there, didn't you? Stupid traitor, you could have warned me! Because I just got us in deep shit and I'm blaming that on you, just so you know."

Now Loki would get his beefy dinner guests at least.

Bucky dreaded tonight more than the night that lay behind them.

°•°

°•°

When he arrived back at the clearing, Loki was once again arranged in the middle of their meadow like the day before. Hair braided, flowing moss green dress shirt nearly translucent, and a horde of woodland creatures surrounding him. A knife glinting in his generous cleavage. Winter bound over to him, excitedly dancing around the dark haired nymph before settling down and resting her heavy head in Loki's lap.

"Again with Snow White and the seven knives? You do know it was dwarves, not knives she had surrounded herself with, do you?" Bucky asked exasperated. He climbed the steps up to the porch and put their groceries down at the huge wooden table there.

Loki just rolled his eyes up at him: "I know. But there's not just hunky huntsmen and your fellow rangers out there in our woods, are there? What if a big bad wolf is out there, just waiting for us to let our guard down and be willing victims to his wicked ways?"

"That's Little Red Riding Hood you're thinking about. And why do I get the feeling that you'd prefer the damn wolf over one of the other rangers?" Bucky could only shake his head. A few thousand years together and the little lunatic still had it in him to make Bucky despair over his antics. "Also, what do you mean that there are not just huntsmen and the other rangers out there?"

Doing a quick head count, Bucky could only think about the two hunters that were employed by the reserve to keep the stock of game stable and the other three rangers that were entrusted with the general care of the woods and the environmental education of visitors.

"Don't tell me you haven't caught on to what they are!" A derisive snort echoed around the clearing. "Considering you reek of that alpha you should have at least an inkling of what he is!"

Bucky stared at his brother, aghast. So they were talking about the ominous visitors after all.

"Of course I know what he is! How do you know about him? Also, what do you mean I reek of him?" Sniffing along his arm, Bucky could only make out the faintest trace of his run-in with the alpha this morning.

There was a hint of “drop your panties” and a strong whiff of “let me build you a nest”, but nothing about what the man was beyond being an alpha. Nothing about his second form that was all golden, beautiful wolf.

"You smell like he peed on you. Wait! Did he? Would suit his kind in any way." Loki was eyeing him as if he could make out any traces of bodily fluids on Bucky's person. Bodily fluids besides Winter’s slobber that was clinging to his pant leg, thanks to her well-meant efforts of appeasing him on their way home after her betrayal at the supermarket.

"Sometimes I really wonder what's wrong with you!" He stopped trying to catch the scent of alpha on himself and glared at the other man, face burning up.

"The same probably as what's wrong with you. At least I don't go around inviting shady alphas that pose a potential threat to my home over for dinner."

Bucky froze.

"How…?" He trailed off, because was it really important how he got caught out by his brother?

"Winter has been yapping about belly scratches and pretty blue eyes since you entered the forest. Wasn't hard to overhear really. I swear that dog is even thirstier than you!" Gazing down lovingly at the animal in his lap, Loki squished her furry cheeks together.

"Who is a thirsty mutt? Youuu are a thirsty mutt! Yes, you are!" Cackling at Winter's adoring gaze and lolling tongue, Loki cuddled the big dog even closer to him before turning back to Bucky once more.

"So care to elaborate what she meant by that?"

Bucky was starting to sweat under Loki's unwavering stare. His dog was a traitor and his brother a sadistic bastard who would not let him live down that his omega brain had gotten the best of him today. Winter's content whining and whuffing filled the awkward silence that had descended between the brothers then.

"Imayhaveinvitedthealphasoverfordinner." Best to get it out fast. He shrugged vaguely.

Loki's stare only intensified. "I did not quite catch that. Mind to repeat that?"

Gulping in a deep breath of air, Bucky squared his broad shoulders and widened his stance. It would not be the first time that his brother was overcome with a sudden urge to rage and throw himself at Bucky. Best be ready to catch 160 pounds of enraged nymph and even better to carefully avoid two dozens of varying knives. Hades knows where he always kept them hidden.

"I may have invited the alphas over for dinner."

Loki heaved a deep sigh: "I know it is my duty as the older and more intelligent brother to clean up your messes, Bucky. But this is a new low, even for you. Inviting someone over for dinner who probably is set on fighting us over this land."

Shaking his head, Loki stared down at Winter.

"Your master is a hormonal disaster. A big, hormonal, gay disaster. I'll never understand why you chose him over me as your master. I'd never do something as reckless. What do you suggest I do to save our asses?"

Listening intently to Winter's huffing and barking, the raven haired man ignored the other omega gaping at him.

As far as Bucky could remember, Loki was the one that had gotten them kicked out of the grove they had been born in a few thousand years ago. Loki was also the one regularly antagonizing their queen by sending increasingly disrespectful RSVPs to the invitations for the yearly mating runs. Just because that hadn't caused any major inconveniences for the both of them yet did not mean that there would never be any consequences.

You don't tell Persephone, goddess of spring and basically the entity who gave life to you that you can't make it to the most important festival of the supernatural and mythological community because you "rather rub one out in the shine of the full moon on the 22nd".

"No. No, Winter. We're not going to adopt two big, hunky, and probably dumb alphas. No, I don't care if the pretty one gives good belly rubs!" Burrowing his hands deeper into the soft fur along her chest, Loki silently contemplated for a while.

Bucky could literally see how one idea was formed and discarded for a potentially even more idiotic one.

Winter yipped once at Loki, tongue lolling out even further and hind leg twitching when Loki's hand scratched a particularly good spot.

"You think I'd like the extra hunky one? Really?" Staring down at the dog in his lap, Loki's nose wrinkled in slight disgust. "Bet he smells all musky and manly."

Scratching along Winter's flanks, the wrinkling intensified. Then, like the sun breaking through between the clouds after a heavy storm, Loki’s features softened. Smiling down at Winter, he stroked a delicate finger down between her eyes.

"Now we’re talking! I'm going to lure them deeper into the forest and far away from our house! Just to be really safe, of course." Gleefully now, Loki clapped his hands, a manic grin stretching across his lips.

"And then do what? Stab them?" Bucky asked. Mostly rhetorically and maybe a bit naively, but Loki had a history of stabbing people. Yesterday had been pretty heavy on the stabbing for example. But better safe than sorry indeed.

"Of course I’ll stab them! Why else would I lure them deeper into the woods?" Loki stared at him as if Bucky was the dumb sibling between the two. Sometimes he was really wondering for himself if maybe he was the black sheep in the family.

"Cut it out, Lokes. You're a damn nymph and not a backstabbing will-o'-wisp. And we'll definitely not spill any more blood on our grounds if not in self-defense!" Exasperated, Bucky marched towards the front door. Three-fucking-thousand years and he was still putting up with that.

"You never let me have any fun!" The enraged scream was followed by a heavy thump. Loki lay dramatically draped across the mossy ground, fawn and birds and rabbit scattering away. Only the big white mutt was still stuck to his side, whuffing and sniffling at Loki’s prone form before laying down as well and crowding close to the nymph.

So Snow White finally got to the stage where she was quiet. Best to let Loki sulk it out for now.

It was only a few hours until Steve and his alpha buddy would come over for a visit at their clearing. Officially, to help them run the perimeter and enforce the wards surrounding their part of the forest. Or at least pretend to do so. The would see how how the night would turn out.

°•°

°•°

He could feel them entering the woods hours later, their presence making itself known by shifting that delicate balance among the trees. Not long and the two alphas would be at the clearing, now that they had been invited and knew what to look for in the dim twilight beneath the low hanging branches. Thankfully, they did not even try to be subtle upon their arrival – unlike last night’s visitors.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Bucky bent down and scratched behind Winter’s floppy ears. The feeling of his hands burrowed deep into her soft, fluffy fur always grounded him like nothing else could. Well, maybe lay naked down between the roots of the oldest oak tree out in their woods. But today there was really no time for that. Swallowing his qualms down, he tapped the mutt’s wet nose softly.

"Go, get them, girl!" Sending an excitedly yapping Winter out to meet them, he looked after the dog from the kitchen window until her white fur had melted into the shadows that grew steadily longer and darker among the trees.

Burrowing his hands back into the dough, Bucky tried to knead his anxiety out. He didn't know what the evening would bring, if he would have to fight for his home and freedom. Or if the two men heading for the clearing were really just passing through and eager to learn more about the woods. Perhaps they were just interested in how they extended the borders of the nature reserve and how they set up the wards.

Surely that was just it and Bucky had been stressing himself out over nothing.

And where in all Hel was Loki anyway? Bucky was left to slave in the kitchen and his highness would only show up as soon as dinner would start. But while he had been watching the tree line like an eagle since Winter had gone to pick up their guests so it had slipped his notion that his elusive brother had once again set up in the middle of the clearing.

So when the two alphas finally stepped out from among the dense canopy of leaves and needles, an excitedly yapping mutt hot on their heels, he could only watch the scene unfold like an accident happening in slow motion.

Winter was jumping around them, butting her head against Steve’s imposing form and drooling for some scratches and belly rubs. Bucky had to swallow heavily. The alpha looked delicious: White t-shirt stretched across a muscular chest that Bucky wanted to rub up against. Tight jeans clinging to thick thighs that propelled the man forward with powerful struts. And big hands rubbing Winter’s ears softly, blue eyes shining down at the dog fondly.

But while he had been greedily drinking up every move and motion by the blond alpha, he had lost track on what his hunky companion was doing. Only when a screeching war cry ripped across the summerly meadow was he able to rip his eyes away and towards where the other alpha was laying on his back, hands stretched up high to show that he was unarmed. And there was Loki crouched above him, straddling the bigger man and pressing a knife to his throat.

“You better come bearing good will and wine!” Growling down at the man below, Loki was bending even closer to where his blade was cutting into the soft skin of the other’s throat. His wide-cut, white blouse was flowing around him, green eyes blazing furiously as he glared down at the other man.

Bucky was storming out of the house at the same time Steve was leaping forward, to do the gods know what to the nymph attacking his friend. He could kill Loki for pulling this shit but if it came to it, he would kill Steve first should he dare to lay a hand on his brother. Just as he was about to throw himself into the fray he was thrown off balance by the alpha pinned to the ground. A deep rumbling sound echoed around the clearing.

“Mate!” Gazing up beseechingly at the omega sitting on his stomach and threatening to end his life, the brawny alpha purred. He honest to the gods purred. And beamed up at the psychotic mess that was Loki.

“Gaaah!” With a screech and a punch to the alpha’s gut, Loki jumped off of the huge man. “Why would you say such a thing?”

He brushed off his clothes in a panic as if he could make the word disappear from where it was hanging between the four people gathered in the clearing. The alpha was slowly sitting up from where he was sprawled. His movements were slow and careful, eyes keenly trained on Loki quietly grumbling to himself and deliberating if undressing would help his situation. The blond man’s nostrils were flaring with every other breath he took, trying to get another whiff of Loki’s scent.

“Thor, what has gotten into you? Are you okay?” Steve leaned down towards his friend, reaching out a timid hand to lay it on the other man’s shoulder. He looked over at Bucky, trying to get a reading on the situation, not knowing where to go from here.

Loki had taken a few steps away, bent low to whisper into Winter’s floppy ears and listening intently to the quiet barks of the white dog. Bucky himself was speechless. There was an alpha sitting right there, calling Loki his mate. And his brother had not gone berserker on him yet. Interesting.

With a deep, rumbling voice the unknown alpha – Thor, Bucky corrected himself – made himself known: “Friend Steven, rest reassured! I’m most fine! I have the great pleasure of meeting my one true mate!”

Laughing loudly, Thor finally got back on his feet. And what a feat that was. Because Loki’s self-proclaimed alpha was tall, built like a literal brick shithouse with muscles bulking even more than Steve’s. Sniffing the air subtly, Bucky could scent ozone and rain in the air, could practically taste a thunderstorm on his tongue. His scent screamed wild and untamed, volatile and passionate.

As far as Bucky was concerned, he smelled and looked like someone worthy of his brother. That brightly smiling man in their clearing could very well keep up with the spitfire that was Loki on a good day and an untamable force of nature on a bad day. Looking over at where the raven haired man seemed to have come to a conclusion with his dog, Bucky was torn between leaning back and watching the show on the one hand and getting ready to fight for his brother’s honor and the safety of their home.

Stalking closer to where Thor, Steve, and Bucky were still loosely crowded, Loki elegantly inserted himself back into their circle, stepping close the big alpha. Taking a deep breath, he fixed his gaze upon Thor who perked up like a puppy at the sudden attention of his potential omega.

“I’m Loki and if you think I’m going to make that easy on you, you’re thoroughly mistaken.” Squaring his shoulders, Loki leaned forward even more and traced the tip of his nose delicately across Thor’s throat, breathing in deeply.

A shudder raced through the hunky man then, visible even to Bucky and Steve. Looking down at the shorter man crowding into him, Thor let himself take a deep breath as well. A resounding growl let Bucky know that he had definitely liked Loki’s characteristic smell of cut grass and wet soil.

“I, Thor of the Norse pantheon, hear your challenge, Loki of the Greek pantheon, and I accept it. I’ll prove myself as a worthy mate to you!” Deep blue eyes met clever green ones in a promise.

“Right. Now that this has been dealt with, how about we eat and you two explain, why you are here and you, Steve, better have a damn good reason for being here during last night’s intrusion.” Clapping into his hands, Bucky turned around and led the other three towards their porch. The big table cut from a fallen oak tree was laden down with fruits and cheese and his freshly baked bread.

When everyone had settled down and served themselves on the spread, Bucky went down to business. He could stand not one more minute not knowing who they had invited into their home and if they would need their knives in a different capacity than eating.

“So, Steve, care to enlighten me how I’ve seen you in the woods last night knocking out Brock for me?” Ripping into a piece of bread methodically, Bucky focused on the alpha.

Choking on his mouthful, the blond alpha broke out into a coughing fit. Thor was reaching over to clap a heavy hand on Steve’s broad back then, taking over until his companion could catch a clear breath again: “We actually have some history Brock and he had heard about his plans to intrude in an omega habitat. It was pure luck that we came across your reserve the day he and the rest of the pack were making a move.”

“I had a feeling about last night, so I came back to check up on you from afar.” Steve had finally calmed down then and blinked at Bucky earnestly.

“What history exactly?” Bucky narrowed his eyes. No matter how bad he wanted to crawl across the table right now and settle into Steve’s lap, this was way to serious.

Steve looked down at his lap, an ashamed blush heating his cheeks and even Thor was looking uncomfortable at the question.

“We have been a part of his old pack until recently, actually. And Thor and I, we were part of the Wild Hunt before it fell apart.” Steve rubbed a hand down his face, suddenly looking tired and older beyond what his youthful appearance would suggest. For the first time since coming across the blond man, Bucky could see behind the sunny, carefree façade.

Loki cut in, then: “What do you mean, before it fell apart?”

Leaning forward inquiringly, Bucky and Loki stared at the two men intently.

“The Wild Hunt has disbanded due to what I believe the humans call ‘insurmountable differences’.” Steve cautioned.

“Meaning?”

“Thor and I had both been newly turned into wolves when Brock offered us a place among his huntsmen. We had been a part for just over a century and it had taken some time so see the Hunt for what it really was under Brock’s lead. All the murder rampages and intrusions committed by the right hand of the ruling gods of the Norse pantheon had to stop. Thor and me both challenged him for the role of leader and it didn’t take long then for the whole Hunt to fall apart.” Steve’s blue eyes glimmered at Bucky beseechingly, willing him to understand that he was not a bad guy and that he was ready to atone for his past while running with the Hunt.

“So what? The One Direction of Norse Mythology, the boy band of all the pantheons had broken up? However will we cope?” Rolling his eyes dramatically, Loki leaned back against his seat. 

“What is One Direction?” Thor leaned closer to Loki’s sprawled out form.

Smirking, Loki soaked up the attention. “Just proving my point?”

Bucky shook his head to clear his mind. So Brock had finally had it coming for all his atrocities and now he was finally locked up in Tartarus preferably. Hel would be fine, too, but Bucky feared they’d be too lenient at his original pantheon’s underworld. Heaving a deep sigh, Bucky focused back on the man sitting across from him.

“We are so sorry that we couldn’t stop them from breaking into your home and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t stop him from hurting you, Bucky!” Timidly reaching across the table, Steve put his hand within Bucky’s reach. Palm up and begging for absolution for something that was really not his responsibility.

When the nymph placed his hand into the alpha’s one, a relieved shudder visibly raced through the man’s body. Wide eyed, he was staring at Bucky before curling his fingers delicately around his hand.

They resumed their dinner then, talking of lighter topics and indeed discussing the nymphs’ conservation work in the nature reserve. Hours of comfortable small talk later, the four of them got up to run a perimeter check to make sure, everything was in order. Loki had creatively mad up some excuses on how he had to take Thor with him in case he needed something heavy lifted or just generally was in the mood to ogle some brawny wolf.

At least he was quick in acknowledging his attraction to the blond huntsman. Maybe the both of them were really mates. But only time and getting to know each other better would tell.

So Bucky was left to wander the woods with Steve by his side. Which was a genius move of his brother on the one hand, because that was as close to saturating himself in the man’s scent as he could get. But on the other hand it put him on the spot. Handling his crush that had been stoked since it had been made clear that Steve was not here to rip his home from out of under his butt, now that would be an Herculean effort.

To get his head of the dizzying emotions and thought swirling around his mind, Bucky had taken off in a sprint when the both pairs split up. Throwing a cocky grin over his shoulder at a befuddled Steve, he slipped into the shadows among the trees and tried to throw the alpha for a loop with a playful little game of chase. Sue his omega brain, but after the relief crashing into him, an invigorating run with a hot man on his trail sounded like the best idea ever.

And he had to give it to Steve: the man could definitely keep up with the nymph while he tried to outrun the shifter. Switching effortlessly between the man and the wolf form, the alpha tracked Bucky for only half an hour before he finally got close enough to him to make a grab for the nymph. Letting himself be tripped by the taller man, they both got tumbling down in a bed of moss. They had laughed until their stomachs hurt, still riding the high of a chase of alpha and omega.

Afterwards, they had been wandering through the woods for some time, trailing the borders of the wards. Bucky introduced Steve to each animal they encountered and made him take a closer look at special plants and trees around them. The pair had been at it for some time, when Steve came to a stop suddenly.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, Bucky. But you smell so good to me, why haven’t we ever met in the mating run? Or anywhere else? I’m pretty sure a scent like yours, I could never forget…”

When Bucky glanced at the alpha from the corner of his eyes to gauge his expression, he was floored. Steve was looking at him like he was the best thing he had ever seen. A flush was sitting high on his cheeks, blue eyes sparkling in the twilight. Looking like everything that Bucky had ever wanted. Shaking himself out of his trance, he turned fully to face Steve head on. No use to hide now.

"We nymphs don't really have the best track record when it comes to participating in the mating run or even falling in love the normal way…" Bucky sighed, staring unseeingly at his hands.

This turn of conversation made him think about Echo and Daphne. He had known them, even considered both nymphs as his friends. But both of them didn't find a happy ending. Echo had fallen for an alpha from their pantheon that was unable to love anyone but himself and the omega craved for the man so much until one day, nothing else was left of the beautiful, timid girl beyond the soft echo of her voice whispering of her love for him.

And Daphne was the reason why omegas were beyond cautious when it came to the mating run. The nymph had participated in one of the first runs that the pantheons held in celebration of the sexes of omega and alpha and to encourage inter-pantheon procreation and mating. Upon the start of the run, she had caught the fancy of the god Apollo. Which sounded innocuous enough and was really what the mating run was about. But the alpha was so lost in the fever of the rut, chasing the poor nymph back and forth around the hunting grounds without ever letting her catch a breath. Her last resort was calling out to her queen, who had answered her prayers for help by turning her into a laurel.

As much as Bucky loved his trees, he did not wish for ending his life this way and becoming a fully-fledged oak tree.

“Loki and I have kept to ourselves for the last century, so not much chance for us to meet. And the whole mating run business is not really our scene. Kind of takes away the free choice from both alpha and omega…” Shrugging, Bucky tried to gauge Steve’s expression in the dim light.

A broad smile crossed the man’s handsome face then.

“That’s why I don’t want to participate this year as well! Now that the Hunt can no longer dictate what I do or don’t I’d much rather take the time and get to know someone special.”

Taking a step closer to Bucky, he carefully reached out and linked their pinkie fingers.

“Maybe you could give that falling in love naturally another try?”

°•°

°•°

When the two alphas finally left after the whole reserve was considered safe enough, Bucky had to reign himself in. His omega wanted nothing more than run after Steve and beg him to stay. Or chase him around a little more and catch him a little more lastingly. And then maybe to knot him and mate him and maybe Bucky was getting ahead of himself.

But not as far ahead as Loki.

"I'm going to put a leash on him. And he's going to love it." A foreboding smirk stretched across his face then. “He started the whole mate business, so he had it coming, really.”

"Sometimes, I'm so very afraid of you, you wouldn't believe it." The smirk only grew more intense. Thank Zeus they were brothers and mostly on the same side.

If he thought more about what Loki was potentially ready and willing to do to achieve his goals, he probably couldn't sleep at night. Bucky loved his sleep.

°•°

°•°

"Hello, boys!" A smoky, slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out across the meadow the afternoon of the next day, chasing a shudder down Bucky's back.

Hair standing on end, he turned back around towards the lounge chair they had set out this morning.

An elegantly dressed woman with auburn burning hair was artfully draped across it. Sharp nails were glinting a ruby red in the late afternoon sun and the heels of her black leather pumps were digging deep into the mossy ground at her feet.

A shudder raced down Bucky's back.

"Natasha. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Polite but straight to the point. He had learned the hard way not to try to make small talk with his mistress before she got her point across.

"You know, I'm just dropping by to enjoy some fresh air, see spring thrive all around me. Smell some fresh flowers after an awfully dreadful winter. Make sure my favorite nymphs show up to the mating run. Just the usual really."

A wicked smirk stretched across her ruby lips, hard eyes trained on Bucky like a snake fixating her prey. He was not equipped for this kind of power play, not after what happened the day before.

"Loki! We got guests!" He yelled out, hoping that his brother would for once listen to the plea in his call and come out to the lawn without dawdling.

To Natasha he said: "Clint's coming as well today, I assume?"

"Oh, he came alright already. But right now he should be cuddling that big mutt of yours."

"My Queen." Silently, Loki had appeared at Bucky's side, eyeing the redheaded woman distrustfully. "What brings you to this part of the world on this fine day? Anything amiss with our reports?"

Stepping out from behind Bucky, he sauntered over and offered Natasha a bowl of a variety of berries, likely picked under the light of yesterday's full moon, because he was dramatic like that.

"As far as I remember our birthing rates of woodland creatures was within the recommended range and our stock of endangered species has stabilized itself over the last few years. Also, we achieved an expansion of our protected area, effective come the next year."

A heart-felt groan could be heard across the clearing.

"Spare us your boring administrative details. Everyone knows the only thing that gets you going are statistics and benchmarks!" With that, Clint stalked out of the woods and towards them, Winter hot on his heels any yapping for more scratches.

Traitor.

Sauntering past them, Clint clapped Bucky on the shoulder heartily and a tad comfortingly. So he was not going to like what they were here for.

“Oh, so maybe you’d be more interested in our stats fending of intruders. Like the ones barging in just yesterday. You’ll surely be glad to find that both Bucky and I are enjoying splendid health and fought them off. I could even remove the blood stains from my favorite shawl.”

Glaring at both Clint and Natasha, Loki scoffed. “You’ll also be glad to hear that it was not Bucky’s or my blood that has been spilled.”

Waving Loki’s nagging off, Clint made his way towards Natasha and plopped unceremoniously down into her lap: "Ah, old news. Today’s got new struggles and worries to think about. You two will to participate in this year's mating run."

Bucky was too shocked by the sudden declaration to do more than gape at the King and Queen of hell.

"The fuck we will." Loki didn't even bat a lash. "We got prior engagements."

Clint eyed him dubiously. "And what would those be?"

"Sure as hell nothing that would get me stuck with a uncouth and barbaric alpha." Finally, a glower crossed Loki's elegant features.

"Getting stuck together is kind of what the mating run is about," wonderingly, Natasha carded spidery fingers through her mate's ash blond hair.

"Yeah, well not with some brute I don't even know!" The glower intensified. "We haven't spent the last centuries heeding your beck and call to stabilize your reign for you to throw us to the literal wolves now! Least of all after what happened last night!"

Bucky wearily eyed the pair lounging in his garden. What Loki said was true. They had answered every call for help sent through Natasha and Clint. The two brothers had fought for the interests of the Olympian pantheon as well as Spring itself. They had done everything in their power to keep and further their sanctuary and with it the influence of Olympia onto the world and mankind.

Loki and Bucky had fought for other sanctuaries inhabited by Olympians to fend off other pantheons. They had gone into battle in the great wars of human history. And they had also taken up their weapons for the epic battles human folklore and mythology talked about.

They had done everything, except taking a mate.

Neither Loki nor Bucky did care which pantheon such a mate would belong to. They simply had not ever wanted for an alpha. Period. They had worked hard for their independence in these forests and their position in the outside world as well as within the pantheon.

But nothing of this mattered when it came to politics it seemed. Sooner or later always came a point when an omega had to give up their independence and get mated to an alpha.

"Take a breather, Lokes. You know the rules. Everyone claiming a human-free zone for their own had to mate after keeping that claim for over a century." Clint leaned forward and turned serious for once. "It's for the sake and survival of the mythological community, to find a safe environment for as many beings as possible and to ensure healthy offspring in these living spaces."

Loki was fuming then, to enraged to further argue.

“What happens if we don’t participate?” Bucky lifted his chin then, not wanting to back down.

Natasha regarded him coolly. “Don’t test our patience, you two. You will show up to that mating run. If you’re not there for the registration, you will be collected. Forcefully, if need be.”

Then – without another word to either of them – the King of Hell and the Queen of Spring took their leave and blinked out of existence in this realm.

Finally, Loki turned towards his brother.

"Everyone's always so scared of Hades. If the world only knew that she's the crazy mad one! She fucking scares the hell out of me!" Snorting into their glasses, Bucky and Loki couldn't help but cackle about their favorite pun about Natasha.

Human mythology had always painted Demeter as the frightful, naive omega virgin that fell victim to Hades' trickery. But the two of them knew better. Natasha wanted a throne and power and Clint had both. Clint, the unrelenting romantic, wanted a loving wife to spoil and share his burdens with.

Or rather someone to spoil him and carry his burdens for the both of them. Also, he wouldn't mind to finally produce some spawn of hell. He had been bereft of all the possible puns about that for far too long already.

They were a real match made in hell. And so Natasha has been reigning over hell with an iron fist while Clint spent his time frolicking around the Underworld, free of administration work and responsibilities beyond representing the realm and torturing a few souls if the mood struck.

They chuckled for some time before sobering up at the thought of what they were ordered to do. Participating in the mating run, getting caught by an alpha. Inviting strangers into their sanctuary. Submitting their whole independent existence to some brute.

Sharing a look, they knew what the other was thinking. They had a possibility to avoid that. Two possibilities to be exact.

They could only hope for the best.

°•°

°•°

The mating run this year was taking place in the middle of Europe, in the endless woods of where one nature reserve merged into the sprawling forests of a national park crossing national borders and uncaring for humankind in its eternal endeavor to win back the land that was lost to nature. It was really a beautiful place on earth. But Bucky could not appreciate the beauty around them.

When Loki and he had registered as omegas running and picked up a serum to induce their heats, they caught a glimpse of Natasha and Clint mingling with the reigning powers of their world. Hopefully one run would get them off their backs.

Loki was grumbling next to him while scouting the people milling around them: "I don't like that this is Norse territory. If Brock and his crowd try to pull something, I'll stab them. Consequences be damned. If they think an artificially induced heat would stop me from stabbing them, they have it coming anyway."

Bucky nodded at this. Because what else was there left to say? They were technically free game to the alphas during this run and no matter how beautiful the nature around them, it was indeed the heartland of the Faerie pantheon. But even while in heat, the brothers had proven to be anything than helpless. They had gutted their fair share of intruders to their territory even with slick running down the backs of their legs and cramps nearly forcing them to their knees.

"I swear to you, I'll stab them all. And I'll start with Clint." Glowering over to where the God of the Underworld was exuberantly waving at them, Loki downed the vial full of awful smelling herbs.

"Gaah. That stuff is nasty. Just as nasty as the smell of dozens of alphas going into rut. Why do they have to smell like month old laundry? Who would want that all over themselves?"

Ranting like that was Loki's way of offering Bucky comfort. His brother could read him like an open book and offering a distraction always helped. Bumping his shoulder into Loki's, he showed his thanks.

“We’ll just have to keep on running. Elude everyone and hold out until sunrise.” Lifting his own vial up to his lips, Bucky swallowed heavily at the pungent smell greeting him. If his nerves couldn't make him throw up until now, this serum surely would do the job. “Or hope for a miracle, I guess.”

He had to excuse himself then, letting Loki to his own devices and running towards the fountain set up for the participants to drink from. He had to get the taste out of his mouth or else he'd really hurl his breakfast all over the starting line. But maybe that would make him a worse choice of partner and repel even rutting alphas.

Breathing deeply, Bucky closed his eyes and focused on gulping down mouthfuls of water to chase away the aftermath of the serum. That is, until a hearty clap on his bowed back had him coughing up a storm.

"Greetings, my friend!" A booming voice entirely too close to his ear announced Thor's arrival. "I smell you have drunk the fine medicine to aid a mating already! Excellent heat scent, my friend!"

Turning an incredulous gaze towards the tall wolf, Bucky gaped at him. He wouldn’t not necessarily consider himself prudish, but commenting on someone’s heat or rut scent was something deeply intimate. Complimenting it even more so, which is why it was only done between mates. But here the tall wolfman was standing out in the open, broadcasting his take on Bucky’s scent to all the pantheons gathered.

While Bucky was still staring, the blond wolf had begun a stretching routine to warm himself up. Bulging muscles were rippling with every move and the golden skin was glowing in the midday sun with a light sheen of perspiration.

He couldn’t really make out what Loki did see in that man. Sure, he was tall, easy-going, and really nice to look at. And he did follow the raven haired man around like a lost puppy in the woods, so that was always a plus in Loki’s books. Maybe having Thor as a brother-in-law wouldn’t be as intolerable. At least in comparison to what he had seen roaming around today so far. He seemed to genuinely adore his brother in any way.

"Just so you know: Loki has never run a mile in his entire life. If you want him, you better be first out of those gates to get to him." Glancing at Thor form the corner of his eye, he saw the giant blond pause his stretching. "And then he might stab you a little."

Thor was staring at him for a long moment considering before he nodded once: "He is well within his rights to do so for being forced to participate in this scam. But thank you for your advice, brother."

He turned on his heels to stalk over to the omega in question. Bucky watched the tall blond as he softly touched his brother's shoulder, announcing his presence. He could also clearly see how Loki lit up upon seeing Thor, his sour mood and knives momentarily forgotten.

The dark haired omega curled towards Thor's strong body, encouraging him to wrap his arms around Loki. Even across the distance, Bucky could pick up the pleased, happy note his brother's scent had taken on. At least one of them had the prospect of ending this run on a pleasant note.

He was shaken from creeping on his brother and his potential lover when another scent grew stronger around him. A scent that he had not expected to encounter here today, but secretly had hoped to anyway. Hoping against hope, really.

A second later, he could feel Steve stepping close to him.

"Hey Buck." A smile, bright like the sun, met Bucky when he turned around and he could not be blamed for the answering one blooming across his face.

"Steve! I thought you didn't want to participate this year? Something about feral and crude traditions that should have been forgotten a millennium ago?" Even tense as he was, Bucky could not pass up teasing Steve a little. Joking about what they both were convinced of to make light of his relief to see Steve here, ready to run.

"Well, you know. Someone special was participating and I was afraid that doing the right thing would cost me the right person." Hooking his little finger into one of Bucky's, he stared at the other man pleadingly.

Perhaps to will him to understand why Steve would betray his convictions. Would betray them for Bucky’s sake. For both their sakes.

Or to understand something else entirely. Bucky didn't dare to hope.

°•°

°•°

When the powerful lightning of Zeus struck the ground accompanied by a deafening roar sent across the plane by Odin, Bucky shot out from below the arches towering above the omegas gathered for the run. He did not care what happened around him, did not dare to look for Loki or anyone else. Particularly not Steve.

He left the mass of heat-struck omegas behind him, forcing his body to ignore the slick trickling down his backside and the fire burning in his veins.

He would just need to have faith that Thor would be the first to get to his brother and to make real on his promises to cherish and care for the omega as he deserved. Bucky could not risk to think about what could happen if anyone else claimed his brother.

Could not risk it slowing him down, making him easy prey for the rutting alphas bound to hunt them down in a few short minutes. He had to get as far away from the starting line as possible. Bucky needed for his trail to go cold and his sweet heat scent to dissipate.

If he made it into the woods, he could maybe prevent getting caught. In the forest, he stood a chance at avoiding any alphas for the next ten hours and ditch anyone that came to close for comfort. A nymph had ways of blending with the trees and he'd be damned if a being from outside the woods bested him in his own terrain.

There was only one alpha that should be able to keep up with him and to best him in this game of hide-and-seek. Steve.

Steve with his superior wolf senses and his quick reflexes. Steve with his strong body that could protect Bucky and his family and his home from any threats. Steve with a heart too big even for his broad built and a smile too bright to look at.

Steve with his eyes, bluer and clearer that Bucky's favorite well. The tawny blond werewolf with talented, soft hands that made shudders race through Bucky's body at the slightest touch. With a scent that had heat pooling low in his gut and slick between his cheeks.

He doubled his speed then. Either Steve would catch him or no one would. If Steve didn't mate with him, no one else would.

New determination propelled him forward and into the safe haven that are the woods. Melting into the shadows, Bucky jumped across a fallen tree and took off North. A second later, a second burst of thunder struck the ground, followed by the roar of hundreds of rutting alphas storming after the hoard of omegas.

°•°

°•°

Bucky’s feet were hitting the ground tirelessly, the booming thunder of the official signal just spurring him on all the more and the battle cries of alphas ready to claim him sending him into a frenzy to get away. He was jumping over roots, winding around thick trunks of trees as old as he was himself.

It was then, that another kind of roar ripped across the woods. A mighty, drawn out howl echoed between the trees around him, followed by a high whine. The combined sounds made him lose his concentration for just a second, as sudden but not completely unexpected as it had been. Just a second and Bucky had lost his footing, ankle catching on a root that had broken through the forest soil, reaching for the sparse sunlight filtering through the foliage.

And then he was stumbling to the ground, falling.

That whine was one he could place, it was a voice he had heard on the very first day of his existence. One he dearly loved.

Loki.

He prayed to the gods he hadn’t placed any hopes and beliefs in for half an eternity now that the one claiming his brother had been Thor. And he hoped with every fiber of his being that it was a mating that Loki and Thor both wanted.

Scrubbing a tired hand across his face to wipe away the heat sweat, Bucky took stock of himself. His ankle seemed to be twisted, his knees and palms scraped open. A bitter laugh forced itself out of his lungs. That was just great. A dryad getting hurt in the woods because he missed a root.

He really was the black sheep to his kind at times.

And then it got worse. 

“My, my. Look who we’ve got here!” A snarl ripped itself out of Bucky’s throat before the condescending greeting was even finished. It couldn’t be. He should be locked up somewhere safe, somewhere far away from here. How was it even possible?

Digging his fingers into the ground where he was crouching, he tried to implore the trees around him to lend him their powers. Whipping around to face his worst nightmare, hoping against hope that he mistook the voice for someone else’s, Bucky came face to face with Brock. The man that had tried to forcefully take Bucky’s home and mate him against his will.

And now he was standing before him, as a participant of the mating run. Well within his rights to force a bond onto Bucky in his weakened state thanks to the heat coursing through his body. An alpha in rut that should be locked up somewhere to never see the light of day again after the betrayal of everything the pantheons had stipulated.

Sweat was beading on his forehead and he was not sure if it was just the heat or the panic slowly clawing away at his insides. He could feel slick gathering between his cheeks and his guts cramping. Swallowing heavily, Bucky tried to gather his wits. He had to get away from Brock or who knows what would happen.

“You are pretty fast, I’ll give you that. Took me some time to get that annoying puppy off my back but here I am, sweetcheeks!” Slinking forward, like a wolf stalking his prey, Brock came closer to where Bucky was sprawled across the floor.

Grabbing a handful of the sandy forest soil, he bided his time for the arrogant huntsman to come closer still. The last time, Bucky had to be saved from the savage by Steve. But the beautiful man was not here right now and fuck his heat to Tartarus and back, Bucky would not let Brock put even one finger on him.

Chuckling darkly, Brock sneered down at the nymph laying on the ground: “Darling, we really got to stop meeting like this. You’re literally gagging for my knot right now, aren’t you? You weak omega slut!”

Taking a deep breath, the heavily built man scented the air – crudely and cruelly. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes darkened at Bucky’s sugary sweet scent permeating the air. The man’s own scent of rotting wood and cold ash was getting only stronger than, his rut close to overtaking rational thought and reduce him to base instincts.

So when the werewolf was bending down to make a grab at him, Bucky threw the sand into the wolf’s face. The grains of sand were like little daggers biting into his skin and eyes, throwing him off. Brock was roaring and growling wildly above him, teeth and claws lengthening menacingly. And Bucky was pulling together his last resources of strength not yet sapped out by the heat and kicked both legs into Brock’s chest.

For once, the Fates were smiling down upon him.

The werewolf was stumbling back, blinded by the sand and body caught in the change from man to wolf. And with a small nudge to the trees around him, a root wound around the disoriented man and tripped him. Tripped him and brought him to fall down. And meeting an adamant tree trunk on his way down with such a force that he was knocked unconscious.

Scrambling back up to his feet, Bucky threw one last glance at the prone form of the former chief of the Wild Hunt before turning tail and running of into the woods once more.

His stroke of luck did not last long because it could not have been more than a few minutes of jumping over roots and swinging along low hanging branches when he heard loud foot falls and snapping undergrowth behind him. Heart thumping heavily in his chest, panic closing up his throat and making it hard to breathe, he did not dare turn around to catch a glimpse at his pursuer.

“Bucky, please stop!” The plea wound around his heart beseechingly, and it brought him to a stop then.

Turning around, he could see the alpha coming to a stop just a few steps behind him. They were now in the middle of a beautiful clearing, there were flowers blooming all around them and the trees cradling the meadow were stretching their branches wide into it and sheltering it from the outside world.

Heavy breathing made Steve's expansive chest rise and fall in a quick rhythm. His scent, now more wet pine tree needles and the first embers of a bonfire glowing, permeated the air thickly. Over the sound of his blood rushing through his veins, pumping in his ears, Bucky could hardly hear the other man whispering his name. Whispering as if he was afraid to spook Bucky, hell-bent on avoiding to make him turn tail and run. 

And Bucky really wanted to fall into a sprint, keep on running for his independence. Wanted to run for a chance to get to know Steve better, like normal people did. Date around a bit, maybe fall into bed with him a few dates too early. Go on a vacation to parse out how they worked together in unfamiliar circumstances.

Fall in love with the man Steve could prove to be and mate with him when their natural heat and rut aligned. Receive a mating bite in the safety of his own home, in a nest that he had created specifically for that purpose, and to return a bite to show his love to the world.

Would run, if only he could. His ankle was burning each time he tried to put a little weight on it and the heat induced for the run made his knees weaker and weaker by the second.

"Buck. I know this is not how you wanted this to happen, me neither. I'd have loved to romance you to the moon and back." Coming one step closer, Steve encroached into Bucky's space. Making it harder to breathe, harder to think clearly. Steve's rut scent was clouding his senses and his own heat was so close to bringing him to his knees, bent over and presenting for Steve. “I would love to date the hell out of you.”

And then Steve was in his space, his delicious scent wrapping around him, cradling him lovingly.

“Steve…” A gasp tore itself out his throat. A gasp like a plea, a promise.

Staring up at the other man, Bucky willed him so understand. How much he needed Steve right now. How much he would need him beyond this day and this night, beyond this heat. How Bucky had been right on track to falling in love with him.

Reaching up slowly, Steve stroked a finger softly down Bucky’s cheek. Just that slow brush of calloused fingertip across his soft cheek had him shuddering with uncontrollable need. A high keening sound built up in the back of throat, enticing Steve to touch more of him.

With a groan, the big alpha tipped forwards and pressed his lips to the nymphs. The first brush of slightly wet lips soon escalated to a battle of tongues and teeth, eager to get as close to the other as possible. Bucky had his hands wrapped around Steve’s strong arms, pulling him closer even still. The wolf’s arms had wound themselves around the slighter man’s waist.

And suddenly Bucky was feeling like falling. Not just in love, because that ship had sailed when he and Steve had strolled through the forest side by side. No, he was falling to the ground, kept safe within Steve’s arms, and found himself laying in a soft bed of grass and moss a second later. Steve was blanketing his whole body with his own, sheltering him and telling him that everything was going to be okay with just a glance of those blue baby blues.

Now that he had the alpha of his dreams here with him, skin to skin and his taste on his tongue, Bucky could finally let his guard down. With a deeply felt sigh, he felt the heat crash into him fully. Goosebumps were trailing up and down his body, slick was seeping into his pants inexorably.

“Steve… Stevie, please, I need you!” Wrapping his arms around Steve’s broad shoulders, he mouthed at the man’s throat and licked the salty skin where a mating bite would hopefully at the crack of dawn. _Bucky’s_ mating bite! 

“It’s okay now, Buck. Everything will be alright. I’ll take care of you now.” Shushing him, Steve pressed another kiss to Bucky’s searching mouth. The feverish heat along Bucky’s skin seemed to finally propel the shifter into action then, his own rut finally stepping into the forefront of his clear mind. With a growl, he ripped apart Bucky’s shirt and shorts, slithering out of his own clothing and slipping off their shoes in a hectic fumble.

Big hands were stroking up and down Bucky’s body, catching a nipple here and grasping a buttock there. Steve’s hot mouth was chasing an invisible trail down from the nymph’s lips over his sternum, biting at a peck and suckling a bruise over his hipbone. And with an eager grown, he swallowed down the brunette’s cock.

Shuddering at the sudden, wet heat enveloping him, Bucky had all but the strength to last for two bops of Steve’s head on his erect member before he came with a scream. The feeling of the werewolf’s throat constricting around the spongy tip had him screeching and grappling at the broad shoulders bent over him.

But before he could catch his breath again, he could feel thick fingers probing at his entrance. It didn’t need much coaxing until they were covered in his slick and slipped deep into him. Looking down at where Steve was crouching between his legs, Bucky let out a weak whimper at the image he was making. His blond hair was disheveled and a flush was sitting high on his cheeks. And suddenly, a wicked grin was stretching his lips.

The next moment, Steve was bent even lower over the nymph’s sprawled form and licking at his hole alongside his fingers probing inside him, stroking his prostate on ever other thrust inside. Screeching, Bucky came once more. And when the wolf looked up at him once more, his face was gleaming with the slick covering his chin and mouth. With a desperate whimper, the omega reached for his alpha.

“Steve…!” Pulling the other man up, he pressed a desperate kiss to those plush, red lips. Willing him to understand his need and how urgently he needed the perfect dick jutting out of a nest of blond curls in him. Right now.

And Steve understood him, was already so attuned to him, that with one last deep look into Bucky’s grey eyes, he sunk himself into Bucky. All the patience he had shown so far flew out the window then and Bucky welcomed it with a hitching gasp. The wolf was pistoling his hips into the nymph, hitting his prostate dead on with every thrust.

“Bucky… Bucky, please be mine!” Cradling Bucky’s head in his big hands, he caught his gaze once more.

And with an encouraging nod, Bucky leaned forward himself, breathing in deeply. He took in their combined scents, the essences of who they were as individuals but also what they could and would be together. It was wild, untamed nature but the welcoming warmth of a home, all wrapped into one. And it was everything that he had ever wanted.

Stealing himself, consciously feeling Steve in and around him, Bucky gave a kitten lick to where Steve’s neck met his shoulders before he sunk his teeth into the soft skin. Putting a mating mark on the man he was falling in love with and merging their souls together irrevocably.

Roaring with the searing pain at his neck, Steve’s knot grew suddenly deep within Bucky and locked them together from one inhale to the next. Pumping his seed into his mate, the werewolf nosed along the omega’s neck before biting into the soft skin as well. An alpha claiming his omega at last.

Another orgasm racing through him, Bucky could feel their souls intertwining then. Could feel Steve’s heart beating next to his inside his chest, could feel himself being overwhelmed by all the adoration and amazement the alpha held for him.

So this was what Bucky had been waiting for, had been searching for all this time. Nearly two millennia wandering the earth and it was here that he should find it. This feeling of belonging, of home. And in this moment, with Steve close to him, in him – Bucky knew that he had finally found it.

Home.

**Author's Note:**

> Content warnings: this fic contains allusions to a forced mating which sure as hell doesn't happen on my watch. The fic is also pretty fast paced, but everything happening between Bucky and Steve is consensual!
> 
> °•°
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :)!
> 
> Check also out the amazing drawings Neutralchaos did for this fic over at their [tumblr](https://chaosdraws.tumblr.com/post/188795584486/my-art-for-buchanansbum-incredible-story-taste-on) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/neutralchaos1) !
> 
> And lili_flygirl's beautiful cover art and page breaks can be found [over here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297575/chapters/50714516#workskin) !
> 
> If you liked our collab, feel free to share our masterposts over at [Tumblr](https://buchanansbum.tumblr.com/post/188808127950/taste-on-my-tongue-author-alittlewicked-aka) or [Dreamwidth](https://capbb.dreamwidth.org/22350.html)!


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